Bihar’s development challenges must be considered in the light of India’s overall development agenda. Located in the most densely populated part of the hindi heartland. Bihar is India’s third most populated state with a total population of more than 110 million, and accounts for one-seventh of India’s population below the poverty line. The state’s performance lags seriously behind national trends, and is a significant contributing factor to the growing income gap across states. If Bihar does not enter the mainstream of national economic growth and prosperity, its performance disparities will continue to widen significantly. 

Providing all weather connectivity to all corners of the state government of Bihar has given great amount of emphasis on improving the road network.

After acheiving the goal to make it possible to reach Patna within 6 hours from any corner of the state, the government is striving to make it possible by reducing the time even further from 6 hours to 5 hours.The width of the roads is being increased as per the requirement for achieving this goal. Bridges are being constructed on those rivers where the need to create new bridges to ensure direct contact. Bypassed or elevated roads are being constructed as per the requirement, which passes through densely populated areas. The basic infrastructure is being developed in a phased manner to smoothen the traffic movement in Patna.

Connectivity of the Four lane roads with District Headquarters:-

In order to make the traffic smooth and safe, the state government is working on a plan to connect all district headquarters of the state with four-lane roads as soon as possible.

Connectivity of two lane roads from Block Headquarters of District Headquarters:-

The important unit of the state's administrative system is the subdivision / block headquarters. All district headquarters will be connected with subdivisional towns and block headquarters by two lane road. 

Strengthening of state capital Patna Infrastructure:

Keeping in mind the estimated population of Patna Capital Region, which is expected to rise up to 60 million by 2031, the infrastructure is being planned and developed. Following major projects are underway:-

1. Patna Ring Road:-The state government has approved the drawing of Patna ring road. This ring road will start from New Airport, which is being set up in Bihata, which will pass through Kanubhai via Naubatpur, Dumri, Beladhikk, Danyiwan, Kachi Dargah, Bidpur, Hajipur, Sonpur, Digha and Sherpur. The total length of this ring road will be 141 km. The total length of the southern part of this ring road is approximately 48 km, in which 60 meter width of land acquisition has been completed by the State Government from its own resources.

2. Patna Ring Road will connect the roads coming from different parts of the state to Patna. With the construction of this road, all those vehicles passing through Patna to reach their destination will not be required to enter the city. With the construction of this ring road, people not living in Patna  will be able to travel directly to the Bihta Airport without entering Patna, through this proposed ring road. Traffic will be more accessible to the capital's new ambitious Railway Stations Pataliputra. An estimated area of ​​1337 sq km will be within the ring road which is 13 times more than the existing area of ​​Patna City. This ring road will play an important role in the planned development of Patna Capital Region, Vaishali and Saran district in coming time.

3. Gangapath :- Construction of 21.5 km long Fourlane Gangapath from Digha to Mahaatma Gandhi bridge, to Dirdanganj, is being carried out at a brisk pace.Of the total length 11.7 k.m has to be alevated structure, there will be 13 Pedestrian under pass, 5 vehicular under pass and 1 grade separate interchange. From this path, three important bridges, namely J.P. Setu, Mahatma Gandhi Setu and Kachi Dargah-Vidupur Setu, will be connected. Connectivity are being made from Ganga Path to the major places of the capital like LCT Ghat, AK Sinha Institute, PMCH, Krishna Ghat, Gay Ghat, Kangan Ghat and Patna Ghat. Till now 1227 segments out of 2431 segments have been completed and 53 span segments have been launched.

4. Digha AIIMS elevated road:- The government has constructed a 4-lane elevated road length of 12.27 km from the southern part of J.P. Setu. Construction of this road has been completed in 2018-19. A 10 meter wide road is being constructed on parallel  canal embankment separately. Part from Bailey Road to Digha has been opened for traffic until March 2018. Thus, from Digha to AIIS, six lane connectivity has been made available. Consequently, traffic congestion on Mahatma Gandhi Setu will be greatly reduced.

5. Restoration of Mahatma Gandhi Setu:-Approval of the scheme for the overall restoration of Mahatma Gandhi Bridge has been approved for about Rs.1300 crores. The work is going on fast under this scheme. By March 2020 , the restoration work of Western flank will be completed and in the next one and a half years the construction of the eastern two lanes will be completed. A new four-lane bridge is also sanctioned by the side of  Mahatma Gandhi Setu. This will facilitate 8-lane connectivity  from Zero Mile Patna to Paswan Chowk, Hajipur.

6. In Patna itself, many flyovers are being constructed to get rid of the problem of traffic jams, in which the Mithapur and R-fly flyover are under construction. Following are other under- construction fly-overs :- (i) Bhikhari Thakur fly-over Via R-block junction from mithapur fly over, (ii) Chiraiyatand fly-over via karbigahiya fly-over form mithapur fly-over.  A fly-over has been constructed  between shekhpura and jagdevpath more in baily road.Similarly Extension of Exhibition road arm of chiraiyatand fly-over to mithapur ROB via patna junction.

7. To connect the proposed airport in Bihta with the capital, elevated road on the Shivala-Bihta road will be constructed. Saguna-Danuapur station road will be upgraded into  6-lane road.

8. Lohia Path Chakra:-From the Income Tax Golambar to Lalit Bhawan, the work of the highly ambitious Lohia Path Chakra is under progress for signal-free Bailey Road. Under this scheme, the underpass and elevated road is being constructed on the Circular Road Junction, Near BPSC, Punikechak and Hartali Chowk. One lane of the elevated structure near circular road junction is operational.

A network of bridges over rivers:-

To provide better connectivity of North Bihar and South Bihar, to construct a new bridge on the Ganga river  parallel to Buxar bridge, parallel to JPS bridge, parallel to Mahatma Gandhi bridge, parallel to Rajendra Setu, parallel to Bikramshila bridge and Manihari-Sahebganj. 

Indo-Nepal Border Road:-

Indo-Nepal Border Road was approved by the Government of India for the smooth development of road infrastructure and  movement of security forces along the border areas of the state. Under this, connecting different parts of the districts of Western Champaran, Eastern Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria and Kishanganj districts of Madanpur in Western Champaran district, construction of the road  is under progress up to Galgaliya on the Bihar-West Bengal border. The  total length of this road will be 679.293 km (552.293 KM & 127 KM). Under the Bharatmala Scheme, a proposal has been sent to the GOI for upgradation of this road by six-laning under the strengthening component of the Border Sectors. The widening of the road ,  will facilitate overall development of the North Border areas of the state.

OPRMC (Output & Performance based Road Maintenance Contract) Maintenance of roads: The State Government is giving great emphasis on construction of the roads along with long term maintenance provisions. Subsequently from the year 2013, the Output & Performance based Road Maintenance Contract (OPRMC) system is implemented. Five years of this arrangement will be completed during 2018-19. The efficacy of this system has resulted in extension of this policy for next seven years.

OPRMC (Phase – 1) – 6397 k.m. out of 6428 k.m.

OPRMC (Phase – 2) – work started in 70 Packages out of 72 packages and 02 packages are in court.  Till now 1183.55 k.m. maintenance has been completed.

Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana

The government of Bihar(GOB) launched the Mukhya Mantri Gram Sampark Yojana in year 2013 to connect with all-weather roads to all rural habitations with population more than 250 in 27 Non-IAP districts involving construction and improvement of 28,075 km roads with an estimated expenditure of Rs 19,652 crore. The programme is presently funded by the govt. of Bihar through its own resources.

The demand for MMGSY roads has been overwhelming, given the challenges of transportation for Bihar’s rural population.

A detailed Survey,similar to the one for PMGSY, was carried out regarding habitations, population of habitation, status of connectivity of habitations, alignment of rural roads,status of roads and land availability, incorporating inputs from people’s representatives, i.e. Hon'ble MP/MLA/MLC, representatives from Panchayati Raj Institution at District, Block, Panchayat levels, Civil Administration, local people and ‘State core network’ for all the 534 blocks spread across 38 districts of Bihar came into existence. Total length identified in State Core Network for MMGSY Project is 28,075 Km.

MMGSY has comprehensive guidelines which are similar to PMGSY in regards to project selection,management of social and environmental issues, procurement, financial management and quality assurance. Rural Works Department through its agency, Bihar Rural Road Development Agency (BRRDA) is responsible for implementing PMGSY as well as MMGSY.

Gramin Tola Sampark Nischay Yojna - (GTSNY)

The spirit and the objective of the Gramin Tola Sampark Nischay Yojana (GTSNY) is to provide good all-weather road connectivity to the eligible unconnected Habitations having population in between 100-249 and are not mapped under Central or State Core Network.

The State Government is committed to provide connectivity to unconnected habitation in between 100-249 under 7 commitments. In this context, toals/habitats belonging to economically & socially deprived section of the society are being covered, based on the satellite map.

Based on the supplementary State Core Network, Gramin Tola Sampark Nischay Yojana (GTSNY) envisages providing single all-weather connectivity to such left-out habitations having population in between 100-249 from financial year 2016-17 on wards in all the districts in the state of Bihar.

Till now 3128.546k.m. road has been constructed out of 3977.3 k.m.

Fund Arrangement:-

Funds are being arranged from various sources for the comprehensive development of the state’s basic infrastructure. The state government is providing huge funds under the state plan from its own resources. Apart from this, assistance is being taken from the special package of Central Planning, world Bank, JICA, HUDCO, NABARD and Asian Development Bank for the construction of roads of LWE areas in collaboration with the Central Government.

New Initiatives:-

Land acquisition is required for the widening of roads as well construction of new roads. There is excessive pressure of population growth on the land in the state therefore; land acquisition is additionally expensive and difficult.

The Government's view is that land holders affected by the land acquisition process in the development works of the state should also be made partners and a part of the land to be developed and given back to the land holders under the Land Pooling Policy. This will increase the land value of the land holders and the government will be able to get the land for the construction of the road without any extra expenditure in land acquisition. The state government is making a policy regarding it.This will be implemented soon.

Two land acquisition experts are working to solve the difficulties faced in land acquisition for the construction of roads in stipulated time.

Bihar State Road Research Institute: -

In view of the wide network of roads and bridges in the state, the Bihar State Road Research Institute will be established on the lines of the Central Road Research Institute. This will ensure the use of latest technologies and will take note of the technical research being done in India as well in foreign countries. For this, land has been identified by the Road Construction Department. By establishing this institution, engineers/contractor would get idea of technical researches and many engineers will get opportunities to do new experiments.

Bihar State Road Development Corporation Ltd.:-

Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation has completed construction of about 1849 bridges in the last 10 years (from 2008 to 2018). During this period, a total amount of Rs 1139303 (eleven thousand three hundred ninety three crore) was used by the corporation.

Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation:-

Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation Ltd. has completed construction of about 1765 bridges in the last 10 years (from 2007 to 2017). During this period a total amount of( Rs.1024500 ten thousand two hundred forty five) crore was used by the corporation.

Capacity Development:-

Requisition has been sent to Bihar Public Service Commission and Bihar Staff Selection Commission to fill the vacancies of engineers. Keeping in mind the possible delays in recruitment process, the department has started the process of recruiting 200 assistant engineers on contractual basis. It has been decided by the department to constitute a Project Management Unit (PMU) to avail services of subject matter experts. It will also have contract management and legal experts.

Participation in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan:-

Oil companies need to take No – Objection from road construction department for installing a petrol pump. In this No – Objection there is provision for constructing public toilet .There are some instances of not seriously implementing this provision .The department has taken strong actions. By March 2018 all the petrol pumps must construct a public toilet within its premises for public use. Those petrol pumps owners will not be able to arrange public toilet, the issued No – Objection certificate will be cancelled. The availability of public toilets at petrol pumps will insure participation in Swachh Bharat Abhiyan. Bihar State Road Development Corporation is working on construction of 20 modern toilets in public places in the capital Patna.

Development of Way Side Amenities:-

The state government is planning way side amenities along all the state highways, under which provision of toilets, drinking water arrangements and restaurants etc. Are being made for the common use of citizens.

Emphasis on road safety:-

The state government has to conduct a safety audit of all the roads to prevent accidents on the road. Currently, Traffic Calming uses are being implemented for road safety at the address. In this sequence, 23 black spots have been found in, 101 and other parts in national highways, out of which structural improvements have been made at 54 Black spots and structural improvements, are being done at remaining places. With a view to promoting road safety, a provision of safety audit has been made in all the works beyond 5 km.

Transparency in tender process :-

All the tenders above 15 lacs are made through E- procurement to promote transparency in the tender process by the department. The results of technical evaluation are displayed on the departmental website for 7 days after the decision of the departmental tender committee. During this period, any person can submit a claim / objection. Further execution of the tender is done only after the claim / objection is resolved. Where cost has come down from this system. At the same time, the number of cases filed in courts has been reduced to zero.

Reconstruction of flood damaged roads / bridges:-

There was extensive damage of roads and bridges in North Bihar in the year 2017 flood. According to the assessment there was a loss of 390 crores. Within 7 days, traffic on all damaged roads was started and most of the roads has been permanently restored by the end of February. As a result of the floods, it was found necessary to construct additional drainage structures, out of which a total of 182 places felt the need for new bridges. The process of bridge construction is under process at all these places.

Time bound functionality and effective tender management:-

Emphasis has been laid on getting the work done on time. A maximum time of 3 months has been fixed for deciding the extension of duration. Contractor who will not complete the work within the original time limit or extended time limit will be denied from the upcoming tenders.

To abolish the system toll tax on state highways / major district Roads:-

Toll tax is been collected on many bridges built by the Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation. According to an estimate, about 10 37.66 crore toll tax are collected every year. For the convenience of the citizens, it has been decided by the state government that from April 1, 2018, the toll tax collection from any bridge has been stopped by the Bihar State Bridge Construction Corporation under the state.

Arrangement to charge a outright fee for the use of the land for the roads from retail outlets / Kisan Seva Kendras:-

The state government has approved the introduction of a tax duties, by eliminating the system of market price based taxation and ground rate for the convenience of the allottees of oil companies. Now retail outlets located on state highway and main district roads will have to deposit 240,000 (two lakh forty thousand) one time and renewal fee of Rs 10,000 (ten thousand) will be payable every 5 years. This fee will be Rs 50 for Kisan Seva Kendra.